The UK Agri-Tech Centre is delighted to support World Food Day (16 October) by highlighting some of the groundbreaking work we do to help build a more sustainable, secure and resilient global food system.
This year’s theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” reflects the importance of global partnerships driving innovation and sustainability across the agri-food sector. The projects below showcase just a few examples of collaboration in action, combining creativity, science and technology to feed the world more responsibly.
A successful agricultural future depends not only on the technologies developed to simplify and enhance farming, but also on how effectively those innovations are embraced and applied. Sustainable methods and forward-thinking adoption remain key to meeting the ever-changing challenges facing our industry.
With the support of Innovate UK and in collaboration with multiple partners, the UK Agri-Tech Centre continues to drive progress through projects that help deliver better food and secure the future of farming.
- Broccoli Harvester
This initiative by UPP focuses on making full use of broccoli plants, turning what was once waste into valuable, nutritious ingredients and significantly reducing the environmental footprint of protein production.
Working alongside partners, the UK Agri-Tech Centre has helped ensure that we can now utilise 100% of the broccoli plant, rather than just the 30% typically harvested. Thanks to advanced sensor technologies, this approach not only minimises waste but also offers sustainable, hypoallergenic food alternatives while maximising the crop’s total value.
By transforming unused biomass into protein-rich ingredients, this project achieves a much lower CO₂ footprint compared with conventional crops such as soy.
- DeCyst
The DeCyst project has reimagined how pest management is approached, especially in controlling Potato Cyst Nematodes (PCN), a persistent threat to UK potato growers.
Through collaboration, project collaborators have refined and optimised the use of solanaceous trap crops, which are specifically developed to outsmart PCN infestations. Widespread adoption of DeCyst™ crops has the potential to strengthen the resilience of potato farming and safeguard yields, offering a long-term solution for the UK’s potato industry.
- Precision Pollination
Polybee is exploring how drone technology can revolutionise pollination in food crops, beginning with strawberries.
By manipulating airflow, these drones assist with pollination, improving fruit yield, quality and forecasting. This project brings together leading UK berry growers, innovation experts and a Singapore-based partner specialising in drone-assisted crop management.
The aim of the project is to integrate this technology into commercial strawberry operations across the UK, ensuring consistent flower pollination and helping mitigate losses in yield and fruit uniformity caused by poor pollination during critical growth stages.
- Fotenix
Fotenix founded the metaverse of agriculture, creating a digital twin of crops using light-based imaging and AI-driven analytics.
By capturing virtual models of plants through multi-spectral imaging, Fotenix provides growers with early detection of stress factors like nutrient deficiencies or disease long before they become visible to the human eye.
This technology empowers farmers to act quickly, enhancing productivity, profitability and sustainability while seamlessly integrating with existing farm systems.
